Wedding Belle! A Real Wedding In The North West – Rosie & Nick

January 3rd, 2013 | Julia Braime

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And so to our very first Real Wedding of 2013! Where better to start than over in Knutsford, Cheshire at the stunning Belle Epoque (the location for the last Brides Up North Tweet Up North West no less!) and join Rosie and Nick for a stunning celebration of their marriage.

Rosie says: We got engaged in December 2010 at Gilpin Lodge in the Lake District. I had taken Nick away for his 30th birthday and he proposed in the hot tub! I thought the ring box was a Pandora charm!

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We were married on 25th November 2012 at Belle Epoque, Knutsford. We have lived in Knutsford for four years and absolutely love it. The Belle Epoque was everything we wanted, intimate, romantic and a different feel to many other weddings we’d been to. We wanted to do something from the norm and were keen not to have it feel overly traditional.

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Dress wise, I was keen to have something out of the ordinary. My first visit to Amy Louise Bridal in Nantwich was like a child in a sweetie shop! I liked at least 10 dresses! Several bridesmaids’ visits later and it had been whittled down to two. Everyone who saw the David Fielden number felt that it was the one and suited my figure. A number of bridal shops later and it was the one I compared every one to. And so it was chosen! Kirsten at Amy Louise was amazing and so very friendly and helpful from start to finish.

The stunning Bridesmaids’ dresses were Debut at Debenhams. We didn’t go for morning suits for the groomsmen and ushers (again not wanting too much of a traditional feel). They all wore what they wanted. Nick had his three piece suit and shirt made at Papas Tailoring in Knutsford.

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My full name is Rosemary so it was only natural that I would have roses as the bouquet. There were also a few sprigs of rosemary hidden in the bridal bouquet. The roses were carefully matched to the bridesmaids dresses – this was not easy as their colour was quite unusual. Amnesia and metalina roses matched quite well. The bridal bouquet had crystals added to some of the roses and wrapped in lace to match the sleeves of the bridal gown.

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During the ceremony a friend of my daughter, an upcoming artist, 15 year old Molly Pye played acoustically on her guitar. She sang Three Little Birds’ Don’t worry as I walked down the aisle. I am prone to worrying! During the ceremony she played Somewhere Over The Rainbow, and the we exited the ceremony to Wonderwall.

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We had an interpreter for the deaf who signed throughout the day as my parents and a number of my immediate family are profoundly deaf. Immediately after the ceremony, the Dee Sign Choir from Chester signed along to three songs we had chosen. A tear jerking time for all our family who had been kept in the dark about this. It was our surprise to them.

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We didn’t set off with a theme, it came together gradually. Once we found out the Christmas decorations would be up in time for the wedding we decided to put a Christmas edge to it. I would be Santa’s elf if I could so it was only natural to have a festive feel to the day. We didn’t really have a colour scheme, we found bridesmaids dresses we liked and matched flowers to this. The rest we wanted to tie in with the colour scheme at the Belle Epoque so we used purples and brown paper. It was also a bit of a mismatch really but it came together and worked!

I made Christmas baubles as favours for the ladies using photo baubles but inserting our own inserts. One side saying ‘Merry Christmas’ and a painstakingly decorated Christmas tree image with tiny purple and gold decorations. The reverse side was a testament to our wedding.

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After the wedding breakfast, neither of us particularly wanted a first dance. However, Nicks favourite day of the whole year is Knutsford Royal May Day which is generally a very good knees up with friends! Nick always gets particularly excited as the Morris men approach so this is where we got an idea for evening entertainment. Leyland Morris Men were more than obliging and it truly was such fun to have them there. Not only did they perform but got the audience up and involved in several different dances. We finished with a DJ called Roy Stone.

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After the wedding we spent an amazing five and a half weeks travelling around Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia.

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My top tip for other Brides Up North would be to relax, enjoy and soak up every second … and don’t forget to leave plenty of money afterwards to treat yourselves to a fabulous honeymoon. You will need it! We also felt that spending on a great photographer and entertainment was money very well spent.

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about the author

Julia Braime
Former lawyer and bride to be Julia founded Brides Up North in 2010 with a chip on her shoulder. Frustrated by the poor Northern presence in glossy bridal magazines and online, she decided to do something about it herself.
Astounded by the rapid growth of her blog and brand, Julia now manages Brides Up North’s online content alongside their busy wedding exhibition season, industry events and related commissions. And she’s always, always, got a new project on the go…